It was definitely a different vibe after Arizona's practice today. There was a lot less joking around and a lot more locked in faces and players. Rich Rodriguez wasn't making Sanford and Son jokes today and he was a lot more serious than he has been the last couple weeks. It's clear to everyone this is a meaningful game that will open some new doors for the Wildcats.
Here are today's practice quick notes to get you up to speed with Wednesday's practice.
* I'll start with the mood around the interview session today. It was definitely a more serious tone than it was yesterday and definitely last week. The Wildcats all know it's a big game and the process of getting locked in has begun. Khalil Tate is someone who is of particular interest this week with they way he's been playing but also him making his return to Los Angeles. He wasn't the starter the last time he was home and it is well documented how well he knows members of the Trojans.
* I chatted with Dereck Boles today for a few minutes and he gave me a ton of good stuff, so be on the look out for that video here soon. He has brought a new type of aggression and attitude to this defense and I've mentioned before that it has brought some friction in practice when he does so but it's all part of his plan. He said today that being that player only helps bring the team together and he feels it is necessary to have a couple players like himself to be a successful defense.
Here were a couple of the good quotes he gave today:
* So I know there have been a lot of questions about guys who are redshirting or are scout team players so I asked around some more and the story is definitely different from what I was hearing a couple months ago and for the most part it's all good news. I guess last week Rich Rodriguez made it a point to mention to the team how well the scout team is doing right now and in his mind it is as much a part of the team's success as the players who get in games. It sounds like Jose Ramirez, Francisco Nelson, Sione Taufahema, Malik Hausman, Tony Wallace and Xavier Bell are some players who have made big strides this season as part of the scout team and there is a nice buzz about them. My-King Johnson is another one who has impressed as part of that group as well. All of those are scholarship players so it makes sense, but it is something Rodriguez is really pumping up within the team right now.
Now for the on-the-record stuff, Brian Knorr said he hasn't been able to work with those players as much as he would like but that there are a couple pass rushers who have not played this year who could have if the staff wanted to burn their redshirts. Because it's so late in the year the staff doesn't want to do that but it sounds like he is excited about the future of the positions there.
"Not as much as you'd like to," he said about being able to work with players such as Johnson, Ramirez and others. "We try to get with them at different times. We've got some good young guys, and I know we're playing a lot of young guys, but we've got a couple who are this far from playing."
Knorr said "it doesn't look good" with Jalen Harris about playing the rest of this season because of the shoulder injury and that is about what you would expect since Arizona wants to redshirt him if it can.
I asked if there are some guys who could step into big roles next season who aren't playing right now and Knorr named Ramirez as one of the possibilities.
"There's some good young guys who, for their sake, needed one more year," he said. "You don't want to send a guy out there and only play him five or six snaps a game. A lot of them could probably help us in special teams but we're trying to do what's best."
He added that the bowl practices will help those players tremendously because in his words it's like having a second spring practice for the team and there will be whole practices dedicated to helping those players develop and improve.
Here are today's practice quick notes to get you up to speed with Wednesday's practice.
* I'll start with the mood around the interview session today. It was definitely a more serious tone than it was yesterday and definitely last week. The Wildcats all know it's a big game and the process of getting locked in has begun. Khalil Tate is someone who is of particular interest this week with they way he's been playing but also him making his return to Los Angeles. He wasn't the starter the last time he was home and it is well documented how well he knows members of the Trojans.
* I chatted with Dereck Boles today for a few minutes and he gave me a ton of good stuff, so be on the look out for that video here soon. He has brought a new type of aggression and attitude to this defense and I've mentioned before that it has brought some friction in practice when he does so but it's all part of his plan. He said today that being that player only helps bring the team together and he feels it is necessary to have a couple players like himself to be a successful defense.
Here were a couple of the good quotes he gave today:
* So I know there have been a lot of questions about guys who are redshirting or are scout team players so I asked around some more and the story is definitely different from what I was hearing a couple months ago and for the most part it's all good news. I guess last week Rich Rodriguez made it a point to mention to the team how well the scout team is doing right now and in his mind it is as much a part of the team's success as the players who get in games. It sounds like Jose Ramirez, Francisco Nelson, Sione Taufahema, Malik Hausman, Tony Wallace and Xavier Bell are some players who have made big strides this season as part of the scout team and there is a nice buzz about them. My-King Johnson is another one who has impressed as part of that group as well. All of those are scholarship players so it makes sense, but it is something Rodriguez is really pumping up within the team right now.
Now for the on-the-record stuff, Brian Knorr said he hasn't been able to work with those players as much as he would like but that there are a couple pass rushers who have not played this year who could have if the staff wanted to burn their redshirts. Because it's so late in the year the staff doesn't want to do that but it sounds like he is excited about the future of the positions there.
"Not as much as you'd like to," he said about being able to work with players such as Johnson, Ramirez and others. "We try to get with them at different times. We've got some good young guys, and I know we're playing a lot of young guys, but we've got a couple who are this far from playing."
Knorr said "it doesn't look good" with Jalen Harris about playing the rest of this season because of the shoulder injury and that is about what you would expect since Arizona wants to redshirt him if it can.
I asked if there are some guys who could step into big roles next season who aren't playing right now and Knorr named Ramirez as one of the possibilities.
"There's some good young guys who, for their sake, needed one more year," he said. "You don't want to send a guy out there and only play him five or six snaps a game. A lot of them could probably help us in special teams but we're trying to do what's best."
He added that the bowl practices will help those players tremendously because in his words it's like having a second spring practice for the team and there will be whole practices dedicated to helping those players develop and improve.
